Minimalist Living: Decluttering for Joy, Health, and Creativity (2 page)

Why Now?

So why have you decided to read this book now? Why are you investigating the possibility of simplifying your life? Many people begin to think about changing their surroundings before, during, or after a big life transition.

You may be moving. You could be downsizing to a smaller home or apartment and you know all your material possessions won’t fit in the new place. Or maybe you’re moving into a bigger abode, but you simply don’t want to move all of your stuff because you know you don’t need or want all of it (not to mention concerns about the money and muscle required to move it). Perhaps you just finished moving and you don’t want to go through the insanity of moving all your knick knacks ever again.

Other big transitions can motivate us to simplify as well. Starting a new job can make us want to simplify everything else. Getting married or moving in together can encourage us to seek a fresh start in our relationship to each other and to our
things. Perhaps you’re an empty-nester for the first time, and you need to make your home and your life reflect your life as it is today, not as it was with kids in the house.

Perhaps you just find yourself feeling inspired to make a change. Maybe it’s New Years and you’ve got some resolutions to keep. Maybe it’s a new moon. You can have any reason you want to be here. Now that you’re here, how far do you want to go?

All Kinds of Minimalists

Minimalists fall on a spectrum. Where you fall on this spectrum is based on your personality and expressed in how many belongings you will end up with when your simplifying project is finished. Some minimalists, having tasted the freedom of lightening their load, become obsessed with how few belongings they can own and still thrive. They may choose a number, say 100, and live with no more than 100 belongings. Or, like ultra-minimalist vagabond Andrew Hyde, who lived for a time with only 15 things, they really push the limits. If this fascinates you, go for it.

More likely, you’ll find yourself comfortable being a more moderate kind of minimalist. These folks don’t count how many things they own, nor do they particularly care. What’s important to them is that they are not overwhelmed or stressed by their stuff. They want to have what they find enjoyable and useful on hand and nothing more. In fact, you could say that most people probably
want
to fit in this category, but they don’t know how to get there. Few people like the heavy feeling that comes from knowing there are hundreds of boxes with contents unknown stashed away in various places.

Now that you’ve identified why you’d like to declutter, where you feel comfortable on the range of minimalism, and how it’s possible to define minimalism for yourself, it’s time to get inspired by the tremendous benefits that paring down can bring to your home, your schedule, and your happiness level.

CHAPTER TWO

For Joy

“Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”
— Epicurus

Before I became a minimalist, whenever I would do a major cleaning of my house, I’d discover projects and items that I loved the idea of completing, but that I forgot about and never got around to.

Back in late 2011, I gave away and sold a lot of things because I want to only have the projects around that I am truly passionate about - things that bring me joy. This way I won't forget the important things. It won't be: "out of sight, out of mind." What is it that you want to be "in sight and in mind" these days? Are there hidden treasures in your environment? Would you like to become a minimalist, thereby becoming a healthier, more creative and joyful individual?

If so, you must choose. More than motivation, more than inspiration, more than a wish or a dream, you need to make a decision. Reading a book about minimalism is a good step in the right direction, but your life will only change if you take action. Decide now to act. We must decide that a new identity as a minimalist will replace our old identification with our belongings and
activities. To choose to change, we need a compelling reason. And what greater reason is there than a deep sense of contentment?

To discover why minimalist living can bring us an abundance of joy, let’s take a closer look at happiness.

The Science of Joy

A 2006 BBC News article by Mike Rudin addressed findings in the field of positive psychology — the study of what makes people happy. Studies show that the top three things that bring lasting joy are relationships, meaning, and goals. The article states:

“First, family and friends are crucial - the wider and deeper the relationships with those around you the better. It is even suggested that friendship can ward off germs. Our brains
control many of the mechanisms in our bodies which are responsible for disease. Just as stress can trigger ill health, it is thought that friendship and happiness can have a protective effect.”
[2]

On meaning and goals, the article had this to say about the results of happiness studies:

“The second vital ingredient is having meaning in life, a belief in something bigger than yourself - from religion, spirituality or a philosophy of life. The third element is having goals embedded in your long term values that you're working for, but also that you find enjoyable.”
[3]

Psychologists argue that we need to find fulfillment through having goals that are interesting to work on and which use our strengths and abilities.

So deep friendship, a sense of meaning, and value-based goals are all ingredients in the soup of happiness. What has never been scientifically proven is that more possessions bring more joy. In fact, happiness researcher Daniel Kahne
man of Princeton University said, “Standard of living has increased dramatically and happiness has increased not at all, and in some cases has diminished slightly.”
[4]

Journalist and founder of eco-blog
TreeHugger.com
Graham Hill found his own happiness diminishing after he very quickly earned a fortune from the sale of his internet startup in the late ‘90s. Post-sale, he spent time and energy buying a large home and outfitting it with all the fancy gadgetry money could buy. He even bought his dream car and hired a personal shopper, but says that “Somehow this stuff ended up running my life, or a lot of it; the things I consumed ended up consuming me. My circumstances are unusual (not everyone gets an Internet windfall before turning 30), but my relationship with material things isn’t.”
[5]
Hill’s happiness levels increased when he jettisoned all the extra gadgets and focused on the basics: a fulfilling romance; meaningful pursuits like travel; and his passion, entrepreneurship.

In a 2013 study, the Northwestern University psychologist Galen V. Bodenhausen connected acquisitional attitudes with negative emotions and action
s. His results suggested that “irrespective of personality, in situations that activate a consumer mind-set, people show the same sorts of problematic patterns in well-being, including negative affect and social disengagement.”
[6]

Stuff = Stress

Let’s think about the typical process we go through when we acquire something – when we begin our relationship to a belonging. We’ll call this example thing a gadget. Think of this process of acquiring something as applying not just to new gadgets, but also to things we let into our schedules - new commitments and new projects.

First, we buy or are given the gadget. It’s such a wonderful new addition to our lives. We’ve always wanted one, and now we have the newest, coolest, most high-quality gadget on the market. It’s going to make our lives easier and more fun. We will be happy, attractive, successful, healthy, and rich because we own this gadget.

We take our gadget home, and now we need to take it out of its packaging. The first ping of stress happens, because it’s packaged in hard plastic, and we have to wrestle with it and pinch our fingers getting it open.

Then we throw the packaging away, and feel some more stress about the environment and that giant floating trash island the size of Texas that is out in the Pacific somewhere.

We use and enjoy our gadget for a time, but then it breaks. So then we hire a professional or take it to a shop for repair. It turns out our gadget just needed cleaning and maintenance. This maintenance time takes away from our loved ones and our larger life goals, adding stress as we ask ourselves
where does the time go?

Life is busy and it’s not always easy to remember to clean our gadget when so many other things call for our attention: our jobs, relationships, and other
activities. With everything going on, the gadget just sits there, gathering dust. One day we are decluttering the living room, and we see the dusty old gadget. It’s taking up much-needed space, and we need to find a different place to store it. Somewhere out of the way.

Briefly a thought occurs to us:
Will I use this again? Maybe I should give it away. Well, I’ll probably use it sometime in the future. Just not right now. Anyway, I’m cleaning up. I don’t have time to deal with dusting this off and finding a new home for it. Maybe I’ll use it later.

With that, we put it on a high shelf in a closet or in a box in the attic, straining our neck and back in the process.

Then, much later, we think that it would be nice to use the gadget. We look for it, but we can’t find it amongst the overwhelming amount of stuff in the closet or attic. After getting dirty and dusty, we promise ourselves we will clean out our home, but for some reason, we put it off.

This stressful process is how our homes become stuffed full of things we don’t need. And our homes are certainly packed full in the U.S., an idea brought home in the book
Material World: Global Family Portrait
, by Peter Menzel, Charles C. Mann, and Paul Kennedy. The book contains photographs of statistically average families from around the world, shown with all their belongings in front of their homes. Check out the book and compare the piles of belongings from homes in the U.S compared with the rest of the world. According to Annie Leonard of the
Story of Stuff Project
, in the U.S. we are using more than our share of resources to make our products and support our lifestyle. Although the U.S. comprises only 5% of the world’s population, we are using 30% of the world’s resources and making 30% of the world’s waste. Globally, in the past thirty years, one third of the planet’s natural resource space has been consumed. There are many, many environmental reasons to decrease the amount of material goods we consume, including the heartbreaking fact that 80% of the Earth’s original forests are gone.
[7]
And the stress that our over-consuming habits place on us as individuals and on our planet is just one of many compelling reasons to simplify.

Life is Short – Enjoy Your Stuff

Stuff is not evil. We enjoy what we own
– when we use it. In fact, our belongings can bring great joy to our lives when they help us connect to each other or pursue meaning and goals. But there’s only time for so many pastimes. There are only twenty-four hours in the day. We may dream of the dinner parties we’ll throw, the golf we’ll play, or the songs we’ll write, but if we aim to do too much, we may simply spend our time moving, sorting, and maintaining our paraphernalia rather than enjoying it. It’s unlikely that when we find ourselves bored, the existence of the gadget in the attic is going to occur to us and we are going to dig it out, dust it off, put in fresh batteries and enjoy it.

The purpose of minimalist living is to get us to a point where every single thing we have in our homes is something that brings us ongoing joy or provides usefulness regularly. The journey to a minimalist life can be exhausting and long, but the purpose of this book is to make it easier and more fun. We can make the process itself joyful if we make a strong decision, and keep in mind our “why,” our biggest reason for minimalist living.

Giving for Joy

Another truth is that as you simplify, you’ll probably end up giving away belongings to friends or charity. The act of giving leads to joy. Kelly Palace, my aunt, had an entire wardrobe of cold weather clothes, formal, professional attire, as well as casual wear. After moving to Florida, Aunt Kelly didn’t need most of her clothes – she was able to dress more casually and for the warmer climate. So what she did was spread her entire old wardrobe out on the floor, take a picture of it, and post the photo to Facebook with a short message that said, “This is an entire wardrobe for a woman who is a size 4-6, and it’s free to anyone who will come take it off my hands.” What happened was wonderful. A woman came and picked it up. She gave it to a friend who had just escaped an abusive relationship and had left most of her clothes in her old home. This act of giving was a blessing for the woman who received the clothes, but also for Aunt Kelly, who told the story with so much joy. It gave her a lot of pleasure to be able to give the things she didn’t need to someone who really needed them.

When Florida artist Cheri Cruden’s company downsized and she lost her job, she decided to move across the state so she could be with the man who is now her husband. When they moved in together, they had her furniture, his furniture, and furniture from his parents and his ex-wife all crowded together in one home. In addition, the closets were filled with ghosts from his less-than-happy past, including his ex-wife’s wedding dress, despite the fact that they had divorced fifteen years ago. Although it was difficult, the two drastically downsized their belongings. Cheri, a cancer survivor, had learned, as she says, “the importance of trying to possess only what you need.”

While they were overseeing the ensuing giant garage sale, something beautiful happened. I’ll let you read about it in Cheri’s own words:

All the neighbors came by and I was selling lots of stuff. Then this lady and her husband came by. I instantly was attracted to her humor and warmth. She stayed quite a while, and during that time we talked about many things. [...]We talked about her shop in Cocoa and she gave me her card and I promised to stop in some time. During the course of this conversation I learned about the homeless people that came into her shop hoping for a coat, or some pans, or something to make their lives a little
easier on the street. Well, I looked around and I had lots of very nice clothes hanging there. I wasn't going back to the corporate world so I would not need them. I had shoes, clothing, blankets, etc., all of which would help someone else. So I offered anything and everything she could fit in her truck.
[...] It was a very rewarding and uplifting experience. To rid oneself of miscellaneous stuff feels very good. You feel light and clean and good.

For Cheri, giving away a truckload of belongings was an incredible way to start a beautiful new relationship, one that makes her feel like “the lucki
est woman alive.” Decluttering not only provided her love life with a fresh start, it also enabled her to improve the lives of those less fortunate. This gave her a sense of joy and fulfillment.